The Light Thief

Kyrgyzstan/D/Fr/NL 2010,
35mm / 24fps / 1:1,85 / Color / Dolby Digital SR, 80 min
original language: kyrgyz
Original Title: Svet-Ake
German release: 14.04.2011

Production
A German-French-Kyrgysistan-Netherland co-production between A.S.A.P. FILMS, PALLAS FILM, VOLYA FILMS, VISS und OY ART.

German distributor: Neue Visionen

World sales: The Match Factory

Producers: Karl Baumgartner, Thanassis Karathanos, Cedomir Kolar, Altynai Koichumanova

Author & Director:  Aktan Arym Kubat (aka Abdykalykov)

The main hero of the film is an resilient electrician, who possesses a wonderful and open heart and who brings to lives of the inhabitants of his small city not only an electric light (which often switches off), but also the light of love, loyalty, life and mainly laughter. Everybody needs him: those who have problems with the electric wiring, and those who have problems of marital interrelations, and those who have the power in that city, and those who are just bored to live. He’ll manage to help everyone. He can even outrage and rewind the counter of an old and lonely pensioner so as she didn’t owe to the State, on the contrary the State owes her for her electric energy consumption.

Director: Aktan Arym Kubat

Author: Aktan Arym Kubat, Talip Ibraimov

DOP: Khassan Kydyraliev

Sound: Bakyt Niyazaliev

Production design: Talgat Asyrankulov

Editing: Petar Markovic

Music: Andre Matthias

Costum design: Inara Abdieva

Make-Up: Tolkyn Asylbekova

Awards:
winner of the Special Jury Award, Amiens International Film Festival
winner of the NETPAC Jury Award, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
winner of the Audience Award, Film Festival Cottbus
winner of the Critic’s & Best Actor Award, Kinoshock Film Festival, Anapa
winner of the Grand Prix & FIPRESCI Award, Eurasia Film Festival, Almaty

Festivals (Selection):
Cannes / Directors Fortnight, 2010
Locarno IFF / Piazza Grande, 2010
Toronto IFF, 2010
Haifa IFF, 2010
Pusan IFF, 2010
Doha Tribeca FF 2010
Filmfestival Cottbus, 2010